Interview about the beautiful girl x mecha anime 'Armored Girl Senki' produced by the staff who have the soul of robot animation



Broadcasting and distribution of the anime ' Armored Girl Senki ' will start on January 6, 2021 (Wednesday). This work is '

level five popular title' of The Little Battlers in a project that was based on the '', already the game version of ' armored daughter Mize REM crisis has been announced and deployment' is, but also different character also view of the world.

Director Keitarou Motonaga , series composition so that you can judge what kind of standing position the work is related to the game version and whether it should be included in the list of works seen from the first episode We talked to Yasuyuki Mutou and Shuichi Takashino, producer of DMM.com, about various stories.

Armored Girl Battlers [Anime] | Armored Girl PROJECT
http://soukou-musume-senki.com/

·table of contents
◆ Positioning of the anime 'Little Battlers Experience'
◆ About the main character
◆ Making works with almost the same team as 'Galaxy Machine Attack Corps Majestic Prince'
◆ How was the influence of 'Corona Sorrow'?
◆ 'Pushing' points of the main staff

◆ Positioning of the anime 'Little Battlers Experience'
GIGAZINE (G):
It was at the DMM pictures booth at AnimeJapan 2019 that I learned about this work called 'Armored Girl Senki'. Although it was based on 'Little Battlers Experience', the game was also a parallel development, but how was 'Armored Girl PROJECT' born in the first place?

The story of girls wearing armor 'Armored Girl Senki' TV animation started, parallel development from 'Little Battlers Experience' --GIGAZINE



Producer Shuichi Takashino (hereinafter referred to as Takashino):
Before and after the game 'Armored Girl' (formerly Armored Girl) was launched, the story of developing it as a media mix project came up within our company, which was the reason for the project. I remember that the idea was to expand the horizontal development centered on the game, as was the case with the original 'Little Battlers Experience'. When I read back the memo at the beginning of the project, it was a gaiden with a strong original element, which was derived from the old armored girl. The head family's separate corps ... So to speak, it's like the '08th MS Squadron' for 'Mobile Suit Gundam'. The enemy of the anime version is 'Mimesis', which is the name of the enemy of the old armored girl, and is a remnant of the original project.

G:
I see, it's easy to understand (laughs)

Takashino:
I think the project started with the idea of 'the same view of the world, but the story of another unit.' Do you remember Muto-san?

Series composition ・ Yasuyuki Mutou (hereinafter referred to as “Muto”):
I remember that it was written in the proposal.

Takashino:
I was planning in that way, but the game was temporarily suspended and it was decided to renew it to 'Armored Girl Miserem Crisis'. Since the planning of animation was quite advanced, it was difficult to make a big change in animation at that timing, and when I thought 'Is there a way to include all of the game and animation?', As a parallel world To try. It's a little tricky, but we have set 'a world where various parallel worlds exist for old armored girls, new armored girls, and Little Battlers Experience.' Speaking of Gundam earlier, it feels like we have turned to the direction of 'W' or '00' instead of '08 Squadron'. This is a different view of the world, but I think we can talk about 'armored girls'.

The following is a partial excerpt from the proposal. Initially, anime and games were set up as a continuous, different world.



However, it changed direction greatly and became one of the parallel worlds.



Director Keitarou Motonaga (hereinafter referred to as Motonaga):
I was asked by a 3D main company called

studio A-CAT to do an original project, so I was asked 'Why don't you come?' And answered 'OK', which was the reason for my participation. After that, I learned that the work was 'Armored Girl Battlers Experience'. I remember having the opportunity to say hello before the meeting.

Takashino:
As a result, due to various circumstances, it has transformed into a plan that follows its own route. The first producer who decided to use this kind of original route for anime also disappeared on the way (laughs). However, what hasn't been shaken from the beginning is to make it a work for 'people who like anime', not 'for game fans only'. I can't say it unconditionally, but when it comes to animated social games, there were cases where 'game fans are happy, but ...', and I had the impression that it was difficult for new fans to enter. The point is that it plays the role of 'expanding IP' so that not only fans of the original game but also new anime fans can come in firmly.

G:
I heard that this work is like a road movie, as the 'STORY' page of the official website says 'School trip for life'. How was this development decided?

Motonaga:
I think he said, 'I'm bored doing it in one place, so let's travel.'

Takashino:
It was a story that 'it is better to have various locations'. It's connected to the story of the project, but since the stage of the old armored girl was mainly in Tokyo, I think it was a story of trying to set it in a place other than Tokyo. Then, while saying 'I want to do it over there' and 'I want to do it here too', it seems that it has spread to the journey ....

Motonaga:
I remembered that I couldn't go even though I was saying 'Let's go to location scouting together'.

Takashino:
that's right……. In 'Gundam,' you tried to do something like a robot anime that fights in various situations, for example, fighting Gouf in the desert. Actually, I also wrote in the proposal that 'Robot anime with the skin of a beautiful girl anime' (laughs)



G:
(Lol)

Takashino:
If you trace the origin of 'Little Battlers Experience', it will be 'Gundam', and in 'Gundam', I think that White Base was fighting on various stages. Considering that the stage will change, it's also like a game.

G:
It is said that this road movie is a trip to the west, but since it is a setting that is very different from the present age, there should have been no problem no matter where the trip was, but why did you go west? Was it there?

Motonaga:
First of all, I wanted to go to Kyoto. 'Kyoto, don't break it' (laughs)

(Everyone laughs)

Motonaga:
One is really this (laughs). The other is 'Let's go to Level Five (headquartered in Fukuoka)'.

Takashino:
Certainly, since Level-5 is the original, there was a suggestion that Kyushu would be good.

G:
Did the director say 'I want to break this' in Kyoto?

Motonaga:
I get angry when I say it, but I wanted to destroy important cultural properties. It's a pattern that I regret later, saying 'I want to break the famous one or sore' with a light glue (laugh)

◆ About the main character
G:
How were the five girls who will be the main characters born this time?

Motonaga:
Regarding the girls ... I'll leave it to Muto-san (laughs). When I had a meeting with 'Is it like this?', He suggested 'How about this?' And said, 'That's hiring.' Mr. Muto thought about it with a pretty good balance, so I feel like I got on it.



Muto:
Since it was a main party with a limited number of people, I remember that there were twists and turns in deciding the personality of the character Miharu. Also, I think that there are not many cases where the main heroine Rico is in the sniper position.

Motonaga:
It was a story that the protagonist always stands in front, so sometimes a sniper is fine.



Muto:
When I decided on this organization, I thought it would be difficult to arrange and function it in terms of content (laughs), but it seemed interesting.

Takashino:
I feel that I decided from the role that there was an attacker, there was a gunner, there was also a command tower. I'm traveling, but at the same time it's also a battle.

Muto:
When the name of the character wasn't decided, I was talking by allocating coloring. There are red and blue, like.

Motonaga:
Yes Yes.

Takashino:
From there, the LBX to be installed was decided by calculating back. I remember having a meeting and deciding, 'Which LBX would you like if you were a Gunner?' It's not the back calculation from LBX, but which LBX fits this role. However, considering that it is useless if there is no such leading role LBX such as Achilles or Odin, there is also an aim in the place where it is shifted from the point that 'If you do it normally, it will be like this'. When deciding, I remember the director saying, 'It's normal for the main character to be the main character, so it's better not to do that.' Also, in the current game 'Armored Girl Miserem Crisis', the number of characters with a fairly mechanical design is increasing, but since the early old armored girls had more 'armor' -like designs, robots We asked Kenji Ando to design the anime version in order to create a picture with an anime feel. That is why even if the same LBX is the motif, it is different between animation and games.



◆ Making works with almost the same team as '

Galaxy Machine Attack Corps Majestic Prince '
G:
Since this work is based on 'Little Battlers Experience', was there anything like 'binding' or 'constraint' for that reason?

Motonaga:
I was allowed to do it quite freely, but if I dare to mention that there were 'restrictions', would it be a 'deadly (attack) function'? If you think about the consistency of the technique, there will be places where the images will be the same, so it is a point to think about how to make a habit there. The rest is how to give each girl the characteristics of each LBX. In painting, there were some things that I had to be aware of, so I calculated various things. This may have been like 'I dared to make a bond'.

G:
It's cool to say 'I made it by tying it up'.

Motonaga:
No, I feel like I shouldn't overdo it (laughs). To be honest, the 3D quality is quite high, with a nice runaway on site.

G:
It seems that the binding works well for the person making the picture, but in making the script for Mr. Mutou, there are some restrictions imposed ...

Muto:
I didn't. I really liked it this time.

G:
Immediate answer (laughs)

Muto:
Normally, the first 'series composition plan' is rubbed with the directors and producers, but this time, if you make a rough one once, can you leave it to us at once? I will be allowed to enter the specific content. There was no plot like Pella 1 saying 'This story is about like this', and I submitted the quantity and density from the beginning every time, 'Isn't it a scenario if I convert this to vertical writing?'

G:
Amazing (laughs)

Muto:
Since it is an original work, it was necessary for the characters to be understood through the dialogue. Anyway, when I thought that I wrote too much, Director Motonaga was amused and said, 'In the end, I will take responsibility, so you can do whatever you want.' That's why I had a high degree of freedom, and to put it badly, I wrote it randomly (laughs). This is the first time I've done this job and have done so much.

G:
The size of the director's bosom was also amazing! (Lol)

Muto:
Yes. In a scenario, we make more and more corrections to make them consistent and match the tsuji, but on the other hand, when we make corrections, there are some parts that get rid of and become boring. This time, the director said, 'Originally, the one that the writer first raised is the most interesting,' and there was almost no repair. However, while I am very happy, I am scared, or the hurdles are rising steadily (laugh)

(Everyone laughs)

Muto:
It was getting harder, but it was fun and hard to experience. The keyword 'school trip' was kept in mind. In a new class, we start from a state where we don't know each other very much, and then we get to know each other at various events and deepen our bonds. I hope the people who are watching will enjoy it as if they were accompanying the school trip, and when the end of the trip is approaching, they will feel a little lonely together. I was conscious of 'I want you to make friends with five people.'

Takashino:
At the beginning, there was a bit of a squeak. It's like when we first got together in class at the school we went to, and the relationship was so tight that we could manage the event and get to know each other. In the first place, I was thinking about a more serious direction as a work, but it became looser than I expected.



Muto:
At first, I think there was a strong feeling of seriousness within the team. It is a functional group / combat group for defeating the mysterious metal lifeform Mimesis, and it is premised that they are not good friends because they are children who are fighting together to survive. Rico, a fluffy heroine, enters there, and everyone feels like a school trip little by little. Mr. Takashino also said at that time, 'I didn't think Rico was so stupid' (laughs), but I think that the whole thing was looser than I expected.

Takashino:
Well, I've become a stupid child more than I expected. Anyway, I'm a bright child, so I think I can look at it loosely. I think the highlight is the gap between the loose everyday part and the 3D part that A-CAT worked hard to make.

G:
There seems to be a considerable head.

Takashino:
Everyone is being messed up by Rico. It is a level that can be called 'character strange'.

G:
The tight settings for mimesis and military affairs may also be a factor in creating a big gap.

Takashino:
Director, this is the work of Mr.

Takaaki Suzuki, who was in charge of setting and military examination (laugh)



Motonaga:
No, it's Mr. Suzuki. I wanted to make something like a 'machine life form' by trying to do it well anyway. There is an idea that it doesn't matter if the enemy is an enemy, but I asked Mr. Yasuhiro Moriki to design a design that is both cool and unpleasant. This time, most of the staff I knew were gathered, and thanks to the team I've been with for a long time, it was easy for me to grasp my intentions. Mostly, the character design is different from 'Galaxy Machine Attack Corps Majestic Prince'. The glue is also quite close.

Takashino:
I was one of the producers of 'Majestic', but I think that people who like 'Majestic' will love it. The character's looseness and Zannen are added to the robot anime-ness, and it's like 'Is it the second term of'Majestic'?!?' (Laughs). It may be called the girl's version of 'Majestic'.


Motonaga:
If you do it all the time, the viewer will get tired. When I learned a lot about the military part, I learned that 'everyone will fall down if they are nervous, so it's a good idea to include stupid things', so I decided to do that for this work as well. First of all, I was conscious of making pictures that ordinary high school girls in the city would be taken to the battlefield and it would be a big deal, and 3D people are giving me hard things. That's what makes me scream more than a contest (laughs). I'm doing something like 'I'll do this far'.

Takashino:
Regarding the world setting, military proof, strategy, etc., it is already made by Takaaki Suzuki, who is familiar with ' Strike Witches ', ' Girls und Panzer ', ' Warlords of Sigreva ' in the animation industry. After making it properly, I asked Mr. Motonaga and Mr. Mutou to make it into a drama, and I wonder if the atmosphere of trying to do the reality of robot animation is firmly out. I think it's a spectacular one that feels like a military. After all, Mr. Mutou is the one who wrote the script for Gundam. Recently, there aren't many robot animes, but among them, the old-fashioned 'Bishojo x Mecha' anime has become.

G:
Certainly, these original robot animations are decreasing.

Takashino:
Since it has a 'robot anime soul', it can be said that it is a beautiful girl anime that has that soul. Speaking of this work, you may think that it is aimed at those who know the game 'Armored Girl' and the base 'Little Battlers Experience', but in reality, I do not know at all There is no problem. Rather, I think it would be good if you could get to know the game of 'Armored Girl' and 'Little Battlers Experience' through this work. I think there are older generations and younger people who don't know 'Little Battlers Experience' in terms of generations.

G:
'Little Battlers Experience' is a game and animation that will be developed from 2011 to 2013, so if you pull out 'Armored Girl', is it about 7 years blank? That may be true.

Takashino:
If you are a big fan of 'Little Battlers Experience', you may think 'I wanted to see a work that shows LBX as it is', but this work touches on the original. I hope you can think of it as an opportunity.

◆ How was the influence of 'Corona Sorrow'?
G:
It is said that this work has been planned for about 3 years, so I think that the actual production was just influenced by the corona virus, but how was the site?

Motonaga:
There was no problem in 3D, but there was a part that affected the drawing.

Kumi Horii, a character designer, did her best to fix the picture thoroughly. Madoka Hirayama also participated from the middle, so the two of us did it thoroughly. If the number of stories is large in 3D, the character will not collapse, so it will be manageable, but the number of stories with many drawings was a little difficult.

G:
So that's it.

Motonaga:
After that, all the schedules went crazy and I focused on sound and editing, so I ended up with an overcrowded schedule of doing everything in between. At the end, there is no choice but to step on and step on, so it feels like A-CAT has already done his best.

G:
I hear that there are meetings at various stages at the anime production site. Did these meetings increase remotely?

Motonaga:
Well, it depends on the person you have a meeting with. I think there were more meetings with CG than drawing this time. After deciding the flow in advance, when I told him 'Please think in this', he said 'OK, I'll do whatever I want', and he showed me what came up and said, 'I can do this. If so, can I do this? ', And when I asked, something higher than I had hoped for was completed, and I felt like I was strangling myself (laughs).

G:
(Lol)

Motonaga:
Mr. Orange at the time of 'Majestic' also gave me something like 'Do you want to do this !?', but this time, 'I want something that can not be defeated', the young people of A-CAT Study a lot. Even if you take one explosion, it will calculate what will explode, what will happen after you put on the armor, and what will happen if you move your weight while flying in the sky. I spent a lot of time with the consultation, 'I can't do this kind of movement with this design, but I can do it if I change the design like this.'



G:
Oh, I see. Did Muto-san have any influence from Corona?

Muto:
By the time of the script meeting, Corona hadn't influenced me yet, so I was doing face-to-face. One of the things that influenced me from my point of view was the presence of dubbing.

Takashino:
As a result, it was broadcast as 'January 2021 Anime', but if it weren't for Corona, it would have been broadcast a while ago. Originally, it was a schedule that I was consulting about whether to match it with the service in of the game.

G:
Oh, was that so? Many works were postponed to 3 months and 6 months due to the influence of Corona, but this work was also significantly influenced.

Takashino:
After all, as a media mix, I wanted to start with the game service, but due to the influence of Corona, it is unavoidable.

G:
In terms of impact, I think public relations activities were also difficult, but what about?

Promotion:

Ryoichi Ishihara (hereinafter referred to as Ishihara):
Not limited to this work, the event that invited voice actors and customers is uncertain. It's difficult to get together for a preliminary screening or to get people together.

Takashino:
It's already trial and error. I was really in trouble there ...

Ishihara:
Since the budget for that amount has floated, I may try to do my best elsewhere.

G:
Is there something like feedback from someone who says, 'I've already finished making one work with Corona?'

Takashino:
For the time being, while proceeding one by one, there are some accumulations of 'let's not do this kind of thing'. In the industry, it hasn't been launched yet (laughs) It's been a long time since Mr. Mutou has already finished the work, but he can't feel free to invite him to 'go for a drink'.

G:
Certainly, that is the one who is said to be the worst now.

Takashino:
In the industry, it is difficult for works to be worn one after another. While the first half of 2020 became scary, it was delayed to the second half, and there were some big titles, so it's already difficult.

◆ 'Pushing' points of the main staff
G:
I think there were various difficulties in the production, but what was the point that you did well on that and want to see here?

Motonaga:
First is the battle. High quality in 3D. I fight with all the girls' faces visible, but the characters aren't broken and they're cute while fighting, so I definitely want you to see that. Also, the fun of 2D conversational drama. I wanted to put out the words that Mr. Muto spun, and there was a part where I rushed with glue, but I think that it is going well. The difference between battle and everyday life is also a highlight. The battle is fierce and cool, and everyday life is just right. I think it's like, 'These kids are usually there.' Also, I think it's interesting that a big voice actor is involved in a hidden ball.



Takashino:
Well, I feel that the fact that 3D girls are 'cool and cute' and that they are cool and cute is a part that is second to none in other anime. I think that the essence of the favorite part of traditional anime, 'Bishojo x Mecha', is strongly expressed. Recently, many people have said, 'I don't really like robot anime,' and said, 'I like anime with cute girls.' Therefore, I think that the good point of this work is that you can see 'cute Robo-ness'. I think that the work 'Little Battlers Experience' is a content born from hobby such as 'Gundam' and plastic model, so I firmly inherit the essence and feel 'Robo-ness' and 'Hobby-ness'. That's what 'figure, thank you' (laughs)

G:
(Lol)

Takashino:
Also, I would like you to touch 'Armored Girl Miserem Crisis'. We are also preparing an anime collaboration event, so please look forward to it.

Muto:
I was surprised that CG is really cute, cool, and is several times higher than I imagined. In the script, there is a living idea that comes out because everyone talks face-to-face, but fortunately, this work was able to work while interacting when it was still gathered, so it became more bloody. I think it has become. At the same time as the director let me do whatever I wanted, I was given one or two epoch-making ideas for each episode, and it became more and more interesting. LBX does not come out as it is, but Otacross, which is familiar to 'Little Battlers Experience' fans, comes out with a proper role instead of being lively. The cast is also

Shuhei Takubo, so I hope you'll look forward to it.



G:
What is the appearance of Otacross here (laughs)? How about Mr. Ishihara in the promotion?

Ishihara:
Then, I recommend 'a certain ramen'.

Takashino:
Ramen (laughs). During the work, there are many scenes of eating ramen.



Ishihara:
That's why we have decided to collaborate with a certain ramen, so please look forward to it (laughs).

Takashino:
There is a scene to eat at a field camp, and local ramen comes out properly. It may be one of the highlights.

G:
Collaborating with ramen in this work is quite surprising. It covers a wide range of beautiful girls, mechas, and even ramen (laughs).

Takashino:
The other party had a surprising reaction like 'Anime? What?' (Laughs)

G:
I'm looking forward to that too. Thank you for your busy time.

So, the anime 'Armored Girl Senki' will be broadcast and distributed from January 6, 2021 (Wednesday). As mentioned in the interview, the work was born with the motif of 'Little Battlers Experience' along with the game 'Armored Girl Miserem Crisis', but it is a unique development that you do not need to know about the game or 'Little Battlers Experience' at all. Since it is a work, please lower the hurdles of your heart and enjoy it as a 'robot anime in which cute girls fight'.

TV Anime 'Armored Girl Senki' Book PV --YouTube


The profiles of the four people who appeared in this interview are as follows.

・ Director: Keitarou Motonaga (Motonaga Keitarou)
Animation director / director. Born in Fukuoka prefecture. Representative works include 'Galaxy Machine Attack Corps Majestic Prince,' 'Jormungand,' 'Katanagatari,' and 'Super Movable Girl 1/6.'

・ Screenplay: Yasuyuki Mutou
Screenwriter. Representative works include the 'Sengoku BASARA' series, 'Mobile Suit Gundam UC (Unicorn)', 'Gundam Build Divers Re: RISE', and 'Rolling Girls'.

・ Producer: Shuichi Takashino
producer. Belongs to DMM pictures. At the company, he is in charge of 'LISTENERS' and 'I asked for it at Dogeza'.

・ Promotion producer: Ryoichi Ishihara
Promotional producer. Belongs to the limited liability company Tunagarhito.

in Interview,   Video,   Anime, Posted by logc_nt